If you're like most people, you visit Facebook a few times a day. You catch up on the latest gossip, "Like" cute baby or pet pictures, and maybe post something yourself. Facebook makes these things simple.
Facebook is so simple, in fact, that you might not know you're using it wrong. Here are three things you really need to stop doing on Facebook.
Confuse public and private conversations. There are a few ways to communicate on Facebook. One is to post a message on your Timeline for everyone to see.
Another is to post a message directly to a friend's Timeline. These are the posts that show up in your Timeline labeled "Jane Doe > John Doe."
Far too many people think the second method is a private conversation. That isn't the case. Think of it like a public speaker on stage talking to one audience member instead of the entire audience. Everyone can still hear everything they're saying.
To send a private message, click the Messages link to the left of your news feed. Then click the New Message button.
Overshare. Social media sites like Facebook encourage you to post your thoughts, experiences, pictures, videos and whatever else you feel like. This can lead people to share things like what they had for breakfast. Detailed relationship woes are another favorite.
But a recent study from the University of Birmingham found oversharing is more complex. It seems sharing too many photos - even if they're nice photos - can damage your real-life relationships and cost you friends.
Of course, "too many" is relative, but there are a few guidelines. If you like to post "selfies," dial it back to important events, like a new haircut.
Include too much information in photos. This is similar to oversharing but carries more risk. Smartphones and some newer standalone cameras can embed GPS information into photos.
Anyone who knows how to read this can see where your photos were taken. That means they can find your house, kids' school or other important locations.
So before you upload a photo, make sure it's clean.
In Windows you can right click a photo and choose Properties. In the Details tab, click the "Remove Properties and Personal Information" button.
On a smartphone, you can turn off GPS when you're taking pictures. To turn it off on your iPhone, go to Settings>>Privacy Location Services.
For Android, go to Settings>>Location Services and turn GPS off when you don't need it. For Windows Phone, go to Settings>>Location to turn off Location Services.
Kimberly Lankford is a contributing editor to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Send her a question or comment at
moneypower@kiplinger.com. For more on this and similar money topics, go to
tulsaworld.com/kiplinger.
Original Print Headline: Avoid the 3 ways you're using Facebook wrong
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